Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: May 3rd thru May 9th

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?


135 comments

  1. It is 57 degrees in Madison WI, on its way up to 81. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. NPR: Texas Governor Deploys National Guard To Stave Off Obama Takeover

    It seems there is concern among some folks that this so-called training maneuver is just a cover story. What’s really going on? President Obama is about to use Special Forces to put Texas under martial law.

    Let’s walk over by the fence where nobody can hear us, and I’ll tell you the story.

    You see, there are these Wal-Marts in West Texas that supposedly closed for six months for “renovation.” That’s what they want you to believe. The truth is these Wal-Marts are going to be military guerrilla-warfare staging areas and FEMA processing camps for political prisoners. The prisoners are going to be transported by train cars that have already been equipped with shackles.

    Don’t take my word for it. That comes directly from a Texas Ranger, who seems pretty plugged in, if you ask me. You and I both know President Obama has been waiting a long time for this, and now it’s happening. It’s a classic false flag operation. Don’t pay any attention the mainstream media; all they’re going to do is lie and attack everyone who’s trying to tell you the truth.

    Even Texans are embarrassed:

    [Gov. Abbott] announced that he was going to ask the State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm from start to finish.

    “It is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed upon,” Abbott said.

    The idea that the Yankee military can’t be trusted down here has a long and rich history in Texas. But that was a while back. Abbott’s proclamation that he was going to keep his eye on these Navy SEAL and Green Beret boys did rub some of our leaders the wrong way.

    “Your letter pandering to idiots … has left me livid,” former State Rep. Todd Smith wrote Gov. Abbott. “I am horrified that I have to choose between the possibility that my Governor actually believes this stuff and the possibility that my Governor doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to those who do.”

  3. Portlaw

    part of the pond. Hope it will be in your part.

    Has anyone heard any thing new from princesspat?  

  4. anotherdemocrat

    Eating breakfast, watching Up. Deeply disappointed that their coverage of that stupid boxing match last night was just a regular sports report; didn’t mention domestic violence or that reporters who have asked Mayweather tough questions got their credentials pulled by his camp. Or Pacquiao’s record as a legislator in the Philippines. None of that — just a regular report on that match.

    Gotta make lunch for next week. I’m thinking lentils with kale & maybe mushrooms — I have some leftover sauce made with tahini & yogurt to use up. And this would work either hot or cold (the line for the microwave can be ridiculous in our tiny breakroom). That, and clearing out my dvr is what I’m doing after church.

  5. princesspat

    It was another long day yesterday, but he is now home again and I hope he slept as well as I did….about 10 hrs last night! Friday’s surgery went as well as it could, but they did have to disable the Vena Cava filter and put in a series of stents. Given his age the surgeon was hoping he could clear the clots without doing doing that but it’s what had to happen to allow his blood to flow as it should.

    The next week or so will be critical because the stents can cause more clots, and then he’s out of surgical options. But if he’s lucky he’ll continue to recover and when the stents need care at some future time there will be some more options. I had an interesting talk with the people at lab where I have my blood tested, and they think the best hope is for a genetic fix for the type of clotting problem he and I have. I hope the fix comes soon!

  6. Diana in NoVa

    Today has got off to a very slow start. We had a spaghetti dinner last night at our house, very nice. Babylicious conked out in the middle of it, though. Darling niece Champagne Rose is spending one last day with my son in Arlington–tomorrow she’ll take Amtrak from Union Station to NYC, then fly out to Hong Kong, where her husband is working at the moment. Next week they’ll go to Kuala Lumpur for a spell.

    Not going to do much at ALL today besides roast a chicken in the evening. Oh, and laundry. I’ll do some of that.

    Must get back to writing–must get back to writing–must get back to writing.

    Hope all Moose will enjoy a wonderful, peaceful Sunday!

  7. bfitzinAR

    mostly sunny today which is good.  Have had to start watering my “nursery stock” and 2 flower gardens already which is not.  (I don’t water my lawn. Ever.)  All those cloudy days with no rain – a lose-lose proposition.  Something going on down the street, a fire truck, police car, and ambulance have all driven by my house.  No sirens but too many 1st responders for nothing going on.  Blessings of C.C. – srsly – on whoever needs them.  I will probably never know but I send healing vibes any time I see “official” vehicles because somebody needs them.  

    Dropped 2 C’s at the vet yesterday – annual check ups and shots for two kittehs – they’re fine and cats are cheaper than kids, but still…

    Hope everybody’s week has started well.  {{{HUGS}}}

  8. Portlaw

    YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Boko Haram fighters stoned some of their captives to death as Nigeria’s military approached to rescue the women, survivors told The Associated Press on Sunday.

    Several women died when they were crushed mistakenly by a Nigerian military armored car.

    And three were blown up by a land mine as they were walking to freedom.

    These tragic stories come from girls and women brought to a refugee camp here, still finding it hard to believe they are safe, some after more than a year in the hands of Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremists.

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

  9. Portlaw

    ROME (AP) – Italy’s Coast Guard and Navy as well as tugs and other commercial vessels joined forces to rescue migrants in at least 16 boats Sunday, saving hundreds of them and recovering 10 bodies off Libya’s coast, as smugglers took advantage of calm seas to send packed vessels across the Mediterranean.

    The Italian Coast Guard said the bodies were found in three separate rescue operations off Libya’s coast. The Coast Guard was being aided by a tug and a merchant ship in at least some of the rescue efforts. In one of those rescues, a cargo ship found three migrants dead and 105 survivors on a dinghy in the waters north of Tripoli, Libya.

    In yet another dramatic rescue, migrants aboard a motorized rubber dinghy that was deflating were spotted by an Italian Navy helicopter. Boats in distress were being spotted so quickly Sunday, that in one case, a Navy vessel had just finished one rescue of 90 migrants when it immediately went to the aid of another migrant boat. One rescue involved 311 people, including 16 children, saved from a fishing boat in the smugglers’ fleet.



    Sunday’s drama at sea came a day after 3,690 migrants were saved from smugglers’ boats.
    Most of those migrants were still being taken to southern Italian ports even as the fresh rescues were taking place.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/03/migrant-crisis-rescues_n_7198824.html bold mine

  10. It is 57 degrees in Madison on its way up to 73. Morning clouds and afternoon sun in the forecast.

    Last night storms moved through the area at 11:30pm and 1:00am so I did not get much sleep.

    Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina will announce their 2016 GOP presidential candidacies this week: Dr. Carson to bash President Obama from the safety of his skin color and Ms. Fiorina to bash Hillary Clinton from the safety of her gender. Pretty predictable.

    Busy day here. See all y’all later!

  11. Diana in NoVa

    May the Fourth be with us all, in fact, given the nature of the news lately.

    It’s 55 F. on a gorgeous morning, going up to 85 F. today. We’re going to have hot-weather food for dinner tonight.

    Miss Pink Cheeks has a cold so in a little while I’m going to pick her up and keep her over here for the day. Poor baby.

    Was completely flummoxed by Jan’s lead story yesterday. Even for Texas that’s a bit much!

    Wishing a good day to all Moosekind. Will try to stop by later.

  12. anotherdemocrat

    Lousy night’s sleep. Sigh. Why can’t this happen on Friday or Saturday night, when it doesn’t matter? My watch says I got 5 hours of sleep. The watch that I think wildly overestimates, because it thinks I’m asleep just because I’m not moving.

    Heh, they’re watching Star Wars on the Space Station today. Because May 4. giggle.

    and that’s about all the brain power I’ve got today

  13. bfitzinAR

    partly cloudy but mostly sunny so far.  I’m 6 KWHs short – will make it sometime today – of generating in the first 4 days of May what I generated for the entire month of December!  What a difference a season, some sunshine, and 6 more solar panels make 🙂

    Is crazy at work – so what else is new? – I may have a short “white privilege” diary (or a long comment in somebody else’s diary) later presupposing I get a whole half hour or so of breathing space to write it.  It won’t surprise anybody on this site or teh Orange but it’s close enough to personal that I thought I try to put it out.

    Have the good Monday – healing and good health to all, and just a pleasant day.  {{{HUGS}}}

  14. princesspat

    It’s so nice to know I don’t have anyone I love in the dreaded hospital today! I’m going to go back to the pool this morning and while the workout will be most welcome I know I’ll need to seriously rest this afternoon, because it’s been at least four months since I was there. It’s a small pool with space for  only 10 people at the same time so I’m very grateful they saved my spot for me.

  15. It is 52 degrees in Madison on its way up to 60. It is raining right now and looks like it will for quite a while.

    Is there really that much anti-union sentiment across the country that Scott Walker is running on union bashing? It is incredible to me the chasm between Republicans, who want to lower wages for as many people as possible, and the American people, who support raising the minimum wage and are clamoring for family supporting jobs. But the politics of envy worked in 2010 and propelled the teaparty into prominence so it seems like they are going with that.

    The campaign is about to take a turn for the worse as Gov. Nasty, Mike Huckabee, will be joining the fray today.

    Happy Cinco de Mayo, all y’alls!!! See you later!

  16. Portlaw

    Decided to skip the news and, instead, look online at the outfits people wore to last night’s Costume Institute Gala at the Met. As you can guess I am suffering from brain rot. Must say that some were astonishing. Beyonce and Kardashan left nothing to the imagination. It’s behind a paywall or I would give you the link and I also know you are all too pure.

    Now off to serious stuff and serious coffee. I am listening to Bach to clear my mind.

    Hope it’s a good day for all and that you are all fashion statements in your part of the Pond,

  17. Diana in NoVa

    Read the preceding posts with interest. Yuck-a-bee has jumped into the clown car of Rethug candidates. Is there a Rethug who isn’t running for POTUS? Denise, I hope your area gets rain soon enough to avoid that wildfire!

    MIss Pink Cheeks was here yesterday, so I did not get any writing done. Perhaps I can today. In the evenings after dinner I’m so tired I want to go to bed by 9. I don’t, but it makes me wonder if it’s age or I’m actually coming down with something.

    Portlaw, I had a quick look at those costumes, which were shown on GMA while we were drinking our Early Morning Tea. Beyond ghastly. I hate American TV anyway, but one reason I’ve never watched “Dance with the Stars” is that after the very first one I loathed the costumes, loathed the bump-and-grind style of dancing, and just decided it was a waste of my time.

    Hope all frequenters of the Pond and Beyond will have a good day!

  18. anotherdemocrat

    Actually got rained on coming in. Just a little, but every drop is good. And a much better night’s sleep last night. Actually, around 9, my eyes said, “We’re closing now, keep doing stuff if you want, but you’ll be doing it without us”, so I want to bed. Only woke up twice.

    Very few thoughts in my head. Earworm is to slow & sweet for morning, must change it, but it’s If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It by Snow Patrol. Not helping me wake up.

  19. bfitzinAR

    Soloing today so I suppose I should expect to be interrupted in every single thing I try to do.  I most certainly am being interrupted in every single thing I try to do – like write this comment 🙂

    Presupposing I get as much electricity generation as I did yesterday, I will surpass last November’s total today.  We’re expecting at least overcast and maybe (hopefully) rain for the next several days so I don’t expect to top another previous marker for a couple of days.  heh.  Take care, {{{HUGS}}}

  20. princesspat

    Life keeps happening here and I can barely keep up, so I’m resting and reading this morning. My sister arrives for a visit this afternoon, Heide needs to see the vet for a swollen paw, I need to go to the pharmacy for our son, I have a Dr appointment, and the laundry is multiplying. A morning nap is needed!

  21. It is 50 degrees in Madison on its way up to 79. Fog this morning, afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast.

    Huckabee is a Tenther! We really are relitigating the Civil War, aren’t we?

    No time to chatter this morning. See all y’all later!!

  22. DeniseVelez

    the rain that was in forecast isn’t happening- fires still burning in the south of the county

    http://www.recordonline.com/ar

    About 2,400 acres have burned

     photo 04e3ee32-6ebb-4a80-8849-49eef5c4c459_zpshao8r8et.jpg

    People are back in their homes and no injuries reported so far…firefighters from 20 companies are involved and Sen Schumer has applied for FEMA funds.  

  23. Portlaw

    in.  

    I was hoping for a clearer day since I am headed for the new Whitney Museum which has moved downtown and has huge windows overlooking the Hudson River. Hope the clouds and rain will be great and not a dim veil and that Denise will see me waving to her at her part of the river. The museum has just opened in its new digs and the reviews are universally fantastic.  The old museum, in a Breuer designed building, was not viewer friendly. Am looking forward to seeing some of my favorite pieces in a terrific space.

    But before that have lots and lots to do including more coffee and more news.

    Hope it’s a good day for all in the Pond.  

  24. Diana in NoVa

    Good morning to all Moosekind! We had a mini-thunderstorm last night but very little rain, darn it. I was hoping for enough to thoroughly water the garden.

    Yesterday I put Babylicious in his stroller so he could watch me weed some of the front garden. If I thought I could get away with it I’d have the whole front yard dug up and a potagere laid out. However, the HOA would get after me if I did. Property values, not the environment, drives their tiny brains.

    Not much news except that I’m still exhausted in the evenings and still not getting anything done. Such news as filters into my brain continues to make me depressed. Portlaw, hope you have a wonderful day touring the museum! It sounds great.

    A good Woden’s Day to all Moosekind!

  25. anotherdemocrat

    Wow did we get rain last night. Even some street flooding & at least 1 water rescue. But sadly not over the lakes. So they are still 38% full. But I got my plants watered by Mother Nature, so yay.

    Playing happy, bouncy music in my head while I eat breakfast. And that is apparently all the brain power I have.

  26. anotherdemocrat

    Ok, so any account I follow would be “yes” — but even a lot of the touristy accounts & restaurants are for it. But this, this morning made me really happy, and gave me a new earworm:

    YesEquality2015 ‏@YesEquality2015 46m46 minutes ago

    Delighted that @SnowPatrolBand offered their hit ‘Just Say Yes’ as the official song for Yes Equality. #JustSayYes https://www.youtube.com/watch?… …

  27. bfitzinAR

    Even with 16 panels I’m only generating at 99w at the moment – it’s early yet.  I didn’t make the 114 KWHs yesterday I was hoping for.  The clouds moved in earlier than forecast.  Probably but not necessarily will today.)  Got rain in the forecast through Monday morning – need the water but not good for the strawberries.  Damp all day and night breeds fungus and they need sunshine to develop their sweet flavor.

    I’m on the ragged edge of losing my temper in a totally inappropriate way right now.  The Powers That Be loading totally superfluous extra steps on us staff is maddening but we mostly expect it and get it handled.  When they load it on the Chairs and other “middle-management” level folks, it doesn’t get done, the submission or whatever gets rejected – AND I HAVE TO RE-ENTER THE WHOLE DAMNED THING.  I’m on my 7th round with the new hire and my 3rd round with the May Intersession pay.  (Thank C.C. for the Moose Pond and the Pootie Diaries!)

    Did I miss a Beltane diary?  I didn’t even remember we’d reached Beltane until Monday, kept thinking something special was happening but couldn’t think of what.  Belated Happy Beltane to all anyway.  {{{HUGS}}}

  28. princesspat

    My thoughts are with Heide this morning as her swollen toe has to be removed and she’s in surgery now. She had a partial surgery on this toe last fall and then the test were cancer free but apparently it has returned. I hope it hasn’t spread…our son doesn’t need any more stress and/or loss right now.

    My sister arrived yesterday for a weeks visit, and I’m  determined to get back on the M,W, F pool routine so that will be my day.

  29. It is 58 degrees in Madison on its way up to 82. Mostly sunny skies in the forecast.

    The big news out of Wisconsin is that Republicans have finally starved the beast!!! The Republicans in charge of state government got the word on revenue and, guess what? Cutting taxes on the rich and lowering wages on the working class does not increase tax revenue; all it does is give more money to people who hoard it and takes money away from those whose purchases fuel the engine of the economy. What is particularly aggravating is that EVERYONE could have predicted this because the it is how trickle-down “works”. Now for the insanity. From Wisconsin Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos:

    “For those of us who have been crossing our fingers and going to church on Sunday, it didn’t work,” Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said at a meeting of the Transportation Development Association. “Now we have to figure out what to do.”

    Note: it does not include raising taxes because Grover Freaking Norquist would have their heads. Instead it means $127 million cut from K-12 education and the full $300 million cut from the university system. Beast, starved. 🙁

    In other news, Jeb(!) Bush continues the Republican attack on single mothers by saying that everything wrong with America can be fixed by more marrying. As Smartypants points out:

    A statement like, “Our goal should be to build up families” will get no argument from anyone – no matter what their political leanings might be. Policies like requiring employers to pay a minimum wage, paid sick leave, universal pre-K and affordable healthcare are all aimed at least partially on building up families. Providing access to comprehensive sex education, birth control and legal abortions have all been proven to reduce unwanted pregnancies and ensure that children are raised in supportive families. But I don’t think Bush supports any of those things.

    No, of course not. The Magic Marrying will solve everything because FATHERS. Not living wages, not access to housing, not a social safety net that can keep people afloat while they are learning new skills, not education.

    There is a lot more in the news but I have to go. See all y’alls later.

    Don’t forget to check out the goings on at the New Moose. If you would like a user account to poke around and kick the tires (and give us feedback on what you think), let me know and make sure your Moose email address is up-to-date. I will set you up and wordpress at motleymoose.net will send you your temporary password. There are a lot of pieces missing (like all of our old words!) but we are making progress.  

  30. DeniseVelez

    This story popped up in my newsfeed this morning

    Rev. Jarrett Maupin poised to file $94M discrimination lawsuit against Maricopa Community Colleges

    http://www.bizjournals.com/pho

    Student: Maricopa Community Colleges are racist, sexist

    http://ktar.com/22/1831871/Stu

    since I know nothing about AZ community colleges – but have been following the right-wing incursions into education there, would like to know more about this  

  31. DeniseVelez

    Oh Happy Day!

    The Republican clown car full of candidates gets more cramped, since it seems that Santorum is squeezing in too

    http://theweek.com/speedreads/

    Sheesh – you need a spread sheet to keep track of these people:

    http://ballotpedia.org/Possibl

    Republicans

    Declared

    Ben Carson

    Ted Cruz

    Carly Fiorina

    Mike Huckabee

    Rand Paul

    Marco Rubio

    Possible

    Kelly Ayotte

    Jeb Bush

    Chris Christie

    Mitch Daniels

    Lindsey Graham

    Nikki Haley

    Bobby Jindal

    John Kasich

    Peter King

    Susana Martinez

    Mike Pence

    Rick Perry

    Brian Sandoval

    Rick Santorum

    Scott Walker

    (I bolded those cirrently predicted to jump in)

  32. Portlaw

    Lots to do so will check in later.

    Hope it’s a good day for Meese, their kin, their pets, and the world.

  33. Diana in NoVa

    We had a massive thunderstorm here last night, complete with dime-sized hail. It was amazing. After the extreme lightning and frightening peals of thunder died away, we had so much rain that the creek was racing like a river in spate. It was particularly annoying that the storm happened at 3 p.m., when the baby had only been asleep for half an hour. He woke up scared, poor little mite. Monty Beagle crept up to his bed in my office. He feels safe there.

    Not much to report except that I’m disappointed in Tom Brady. Have felt very unenergetic this past week so have got nothing done except a little weeding.

    Hope it’s a good day for all in Moosylvania!

  34. anotherdemocrat

    after the storms the other day, that is just fine with us

    Eating breakfast, catching up on the internet. Have my same earworm from yesterday, the Just Say Yes campaign commercial — and this is a commercial you actually want to look at, it is full of happy, loving people, and some of them are taking their adorable dogs for a walk. I really hope the referendum passes.

    Anyway, that’s me this morning. Sleepy because I woke up several times last night. Sigh. Tea & caffeinated NUUN. Yay.

  35. bfitzinAR

    walked in the door to the copy machine going down, that kind of crazy day.  Heading out for a meeting in a few minutes.  Have another at noon.  Won’t be here tomorrow (chiropractor’s appt in the middle of the day).  I’ll visit last year’s Beltane diary when I get a chance.  Blessings upon you all.  {{{HUGS}}}

  36. princesspat

    Heide made it through surgery just fine and her x rays look good, but now we wait for the pathology report. The best news  will be squamous cell carcinoma that hasn’t spread, so crossing fingers and toes!

    A visit to the hair and nail saloon is on today’s agenda, as I’m looking and feeling scruffy around all my edges 🙂

  37. It is 62 degrees in Madison on its way up to 75. Cloudy skies are in the forecast. Yesterday it got to 87 on my back deck, 82 officially … the earliest it has been over 80 for quite some time (the record is 86, the normal is 66!).

    Everyone is still laughing at Greg Abbott, doofus governor of Texas, who has been pandering to the wingnuts worried about President Obama taking over Texas. It is emblematic of the problem with America right now; the paranoia, stoked by racism and the incendiary rhetoric of groups like the NRA and the GOP, is making it impossible to engage in civil discourse. We have to laugh or we will weep. My favorite Tweet:

    Jay @WhiskeyInSpace

    this leaked photo reveals Obummer’s plan to destroy Houston during #JadeHelm15

    trigger warning and highly graphic


    Walkermentum has slowed (as I expected) now that there are other, more attractive, candidates for the Republicans to choose from. He peaked at 17% in the national polls on the basis of one “exceeds expectations” speech in Iowa in January. It is really important to me that he not be the nominee. He is a pathological liar, so good at lying that he has convinced people to vote against their own economic self-interest … and the future of their state. It worries me that he could do the same thing nationally.

    See all y’alls later!!

  38. DeniseVelez

    this time closer, at our local ski resort on Hunter Mountain which is about 25 miles away from here in Greene County.

    http://wnyt.com/article/storie


    LANESVILLE – A large forest fire burning on Southwest Hunter Mountain will continue to spread through the night.

    The 140 firefighters that responded have been called off the mountain because conditions became too dangerous.

    The roaring fire started around 1 p.m. Thursday and quickly consumed over 50 acres.

    “Grew in size very quickly due to the extremely dry conditions and the very steep terrain,” said Darryl Kittle, forest ranger with the New York State Department of Conservation.

    After hours of hard work the fire is still not contained but firefighters were called off the mountain as night fell. No one was injured and they want to keep it that way.

    “Night operations- it’s not safe for anybody. It’s not safe during the day let alone at night,” said Rose.

    “We’re going to evaluate what direction the fire is spreading, what the weather is going to be for tomorrow, which direction we anticipate it to spread then. We’re going to be looking at life safety and protection of property,” said Kittle.

    The fire will be monitored overnight and 30 firefighters will be back at 8 a.m. Friday.

    We could use some heavy rain up here – none in the forecast till next week…it’s 61 here going up to 87 – which is really weird for this time of year.

  39. Diana in NoVa

    Just a drive-by to say hello. Won’t have the baby today, so must try to catch up on the numerous emails I haven’t answered this week. Denise, that’s awful about the forest fires and no rain–it must be due to climate change! Jan, glad you got to feel some warmth on your deck yesterday.

    It’s also gratifying to hear that Walker-Wubsy is losing his appeal. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving creep.

    A good day to all at the Pond!

  40. anotherdemocrat

    we need it, but I wish we could spread it around to others who need it too

    My phone turned itself off, which of course woke me up – 45 minutes early. The stupid alarm app is supposed to charge the phone, but about 1/3 of the time, it doesn’t. Grrrr. Maybe I’ll switch back to a regular alarm clock & a rain sounds cd on repeat.

    Apparently the UK elections went badly. I haven’t read any stories because I don’t want to know, I just can’t deal with bad news. Mother’s Day week is hard enough, I don’t need other depressing stuff.

    another earworm of a song I haven’t actually listened to lately, She’s Gonna Blow Your House Down by my babies. Definitely loud enough to keep me awake.

  41. princesspat

    I’m hoping for a quiet and restful morning. My sister is going to the gym with Ron, I have an errand to do with our son, then all or some of us will go to an exhibit at the museum later this afternoon.

    It’s has been a busy week!

  42. It is 59 degrees in Madison on its way up to 72. Cloudy skies in the forecast.

    I started scanning the news and came across this:

    Darrell Issa, the richest man in Congress, said America has made “our poor somewhat the envy of the world.”

    GOP to America’s Poors “You never had it so good!” (now pee in a cup and what the hell is that in your shopping cart??!?)

    Nate Silver, in the wake of the British elections, says it is probably impossible to have good polling any more. I am trying to figure out if that is good or bad. Maybe if you are kept in a heightened sense of worry that your candidate won’t win, you will work harder for him or her?

    Busy day … will check back later!  

  43. From the NY Times Email:

    BREAKING NEWS Saturday, May 9, 2015 6:15 AM EDT

    Liberia Is Free of Ebola, World Health Organization Declares

    The World Health Organization declared Liberia free of Ebola on Saturday, making it the first of the three hardest-hit West African countries to bring a formal end to the epidemic.

    “The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over,” the W.H.O. said in a statement. The president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, planned to attend ceremonies later in the morning to commemorate the dead and celebrate survivors.

    As of Saturday, two maximum incubation periods of the virus, a total of 42 days, had passed since the burial of the last person confirmed to have had Ebola in Liberia, fulfilling the official criteria for concluding that human-to-human transmission of the virus has ended. According to the W.H.O., there were more than 3,000 confirmed Ebola cases in Liberia, and a further 7,400 suspected or probable cases, with more than 4,700 deaths estimated to have occurred since the outbreak was declared there in March of 2014. Among the dead were 189 health care workers.

    READ MORE http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05

  44. Diana in NoVa

    Bfitz wouldn’t be happy with the weather today! Apparently the clouds are supposed to dissipate later, and I hope they do. It’s much more enjoyable to shop for plants when the sun is shining.

    Still playing catch-up with emails and so forth. Knocked out several yesterday, have several more today. Never got this month’s blog written for the Web site, so will do that too.

    That is indeed good news about Liberia’s being Ebola-free! Thankful for every bit of good news that comes down the pike. Still trying to understand the British election: (1) why on earth did the people vote Tory, and (2) why did the opposition leaders have to resign en masse? I mean, old Lieberbush didn’t give up his seat to run with Gore and when the ticket lost, he didn’t have to resign. Weird.

    Gosh, people are getting vitriolic at GOS. If one dares suggest that Bernie Sanders won’t win the Dem. nomination and subsequently the White House, one is subject to nasty replies in the comments. I don’t respond, leaving the nasty person to wonder whether I read his comment or not.

    Will check back later to see how all the Pond dwellers are! Have a good day!

  45. anotherdemocrat

    Eating breakfast, watching Up. The Republican is wrapped to his talking points, but he’s not rude. Just robotic: “failed progressive policies”. Sigh.

    Once again, I should get some exercise today. Indoors, because it is stormy. And next week’s food – though less because I’m taking Thursday & Friday off. I’m tired & Fridays are the worst at my office, they’re just exhausting. Having lunch with my friend M on Thursday, maybe a movie on Friday.

  46. princesspat

    We’ll be going to our grand daughter’s soccer game this afternoon so I hope it’s not raining. I’m a very fair weather sports Grammie but it’s her last game of the season so I’d best be there rain or shine! She accidentally scored a goal last week 🙂

    I also hope to visit the flower shop today. I started an arrangement earlier this week but ran out of energy so it’s looking quite sad and unfinished today. I made wreaths out of the fresh ivy runners and put both ends in the vase so the green structure is good, but the places where flowers should be are noticeably empty.

    Our son is getting stronger and Heide is in less pain so that’s welcome progress. They are nursing each other!  

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